Halfheart
by Chris Atola
Summary: Crossover between Dragonheart and Harry Potter. What would happen if the Hogwarts trio and an original character ended up in Dragonheart? DEAD FIC
1. The arrival

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone except Kirsti. Meaning, I own neither Harry Potter nor Dragonheart.  
  
(23/July/2003) Author's note: I think this is the first Dragonheart/Harry Potter crossover on FF.net, but I wouldn't swear on it. Anyway, this idea's been in floating around in my head for ages now, but I only just thought about actually writing it. I've been a fan of Dragonheart since I watched the movie the first time, and I've been a fan of Harry Potter since my mum bought the first three books. My thanks go to her for buying the books and the Dragonheart video in the first place!  
  
In this story, OotP never happened.  
  
Ciorstaidh is the Celtic version of Kirsti(e), according to a site I once looked at. Put it this way. Kirsti's name, according to her birth certificate is Ciorstaidh, but people call her Kirsti. And by the way, it's pronounced Keer-stee.  
  
Hogwarts only plays a small part in this story; after that, it's all in the Dragonheart dimension.  
  
Halfheart by Chris Atola  
  
Kirsti Tammi ran at full tilt in an attempt to get to Potions before the teacher, Prof. Snape, the most hated of Hogwarts professors. She knew it was a futile effort, as it was already a good ten minutes since the bell had rung, but she tried anyway. 'Great,' she thought, 'just a week at this school and I'm already getting into trouble. Why, oh why didn't I get going earlier?'  
  
Kirsti had moved to England the previous summer, until then she'd lived in Finland, and attended a small countryside magic school. The change of schools had been welcome and unwelcome at the same time. She'd gotten into a fight with a boy at her old school, resulting in both of them being expelled. Kirsti found it hard to suddenly find herself moving to a country she'd only been in once before, on an unscheduled 'holiday' a few years prior, and in a school ten times the size of her old one. Needless to say, she was getting lost every five minutes.  
  
Finally, she caught sight of a familiar ghost. "Nick! You wouldn't mind telling me how I get to Potions? I'm really late!"  
  
"Sure, I'll take you there."  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
Nick floated down a corridor, and Kirsti followed. A few minutes and about a dozen twists and turns later, Nick floated down a series of staircases and came to a stop in front of the Potions room door. Kirsti glanced at her watch and groaned. She was now twenty minutes late, and the lesson was only an hour long.  
  
"Thanks, Nick." Nick waved and floated back the way he came, leaving Kirsti alone at the dungeon door. 'No point in going in, now, I'll just lose a lot of house points, both for being late and for making mistakes. I might as well head to the tower, and wait for next class to start.'  
  
So, she headed for Gryffindor tower, but on the way she ran into Draco Malfoy, who started taunting her. "Hey, Mudblood, shouldn't you be in class? Skipping lessons, are we?"  
  
"Shut up, Malfoy: you don't deserve your name. You ruin it with everything you do." Kirsti drew her wand and, before Malfoy knew what hit him, she'd sent him flying into the wall. Kirsti knew a teacher would be over in no time, so she headed for the tower at twice the pace she'd previously been using. When she got to the tower, Kirsti gave the Fat Lady the password, 'lionheart', and trotted in. She sat down in one of the chairs, but jumped up moments later, and began pacing the room. She never could sit still for very long unless she absolutely had to, preferring to move around as much as posssible.  
  
She kept pacing until the bell rang, signalling the end of classes until after lunch. Five minutes later, her friends Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger came in. "Why weren't you in Potions, Kirsti?"  
  
She turned and smiled sheepishly. "I didn't get going until far too late, and then I got lost. When I finally made it to the dungeons, it would've cost a lot of points if I'd come in, so I came up here. What did I miss?"  
  
"Just Neville blowing up yet another cauldron and Snape having a fit. Are you alright?" Harry asked, seeing Kirstinod then make a face.  
  
"On my way up here I got pestered by Malfoy again. I told him he doesn't deserve his name, and cursed him into the wall. I think I'm in trouble now."  
  
"Why do you say he doesn't deserve the name he has?" asked Hermione.  
  
"I knew someone else with that name. My friend actually earned that name, and bore it well. Malfoy pollutes it with his every action."  
  
Ron glanced at his watch and said, "We'd better go to lunch, class starts in an hour."  
  
On their way down, the foursome ran into Malfoy, who drew his wand as soon as he made eye contact. Kirsti did the same, and it just so happened that she cast Expelliarmus at the same time as Malfoy cast Serpensortia, and the spells collided. All went black for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Kirsti and Malfoy.  
  
When the light returned, they were in for quite a shock. They weren't in the castle anymore - they weren't even on Hogwarts grounds.  
  
"Where are we?" asked Harry.  
  
"I think the better quetsion would be when are we." Kirsti took a look around and continued. "Take a sniff. No pollution, no sign of cars or advanced technology. Guys, I think we're in the middle ages. And I think I can tell the year as well."  
  
"I want to go back to Hogwarts. Come on."  
  
"Hold on, Malfoy, If I'm right, Hogwarts is only just being built - if it ever will. We're in the late tenth century - in a different dimension. I think I've been here once before. Anyway, no-one do _any_ magic - you know what they did to magic-users in the Middle Ages. And do any of you know an anti-fire spell?" The boys shook their heads.  
  
"I think I read about one in the library, but I can't remember it," Hermione answered.  
  
"Duck!" Kirsti shouted, pulling Hermione down with her. Moments later, a golden-scaled dragon swooped low down, and landed. "I know where we are now. That's Draco Halfheart, he's a friend of mine. That puts a damper on any hopes of finding Hogwarts - it doesn't exist here." That said, Kirsti ran over to the dragon, throwing her arms around him.  
  
The others heard the dragon say, "Ciorstaidh? What are you doing here? And who are those youngsters over there?"  
  
"The black-haired boy is Harry Potter, the red-haired boy is Ron Weasley, and the girl is Hermione Granger, they're my friends. The other boy is Draco Malfoy, a stuck-up, selfish prick who's always getting others into trouble. He's the reason we're here in the first place. He doesn't deserve his name, either: he's never done anything for anyone out of the goodness of his heart. He's cruel and nasty to everyone."  
  
Draco looked at Malfoy, then said, "Perhaps we can change that. Maybe we'll have better luck with him that I did with Einon."  
  
"What are you planning?"  
  
"Oh, just a little chat."  
  
Kirsti trotted over to her human friends and said, "Come on, say hello. Draco won't hurt you - you're in a different dimension, remember. Here, dragons are actually smart enough to talk and warn you if you're getting on their nerves. And no nasty comments from you, Malfoy," she said, turning to a now-stunned Slytherin. "I suggest you get yourself another name: we can hardly call both of you Draco, and it's going to draw attention if we keep calling you by surname." Malfoy nodded, and followed the rest as Kirsti led them toward Draco.  
  
"Draco, what say we have a little story time? It might help in getting to know each other a bit better," Kirsti suggested. Draco nodded, and settled down comfortably, with his forelegs crossed and his head resting on them. The others sat down on the grass, and Harry asked, "If you don't mind my asking, Draco, how did you come by the added name 'Halfheart'?"  
  
"Well, young Harry, that's a long story. Ciorstadh's father Tomas gave it to me, but the reason why is more complicated. Until a few years ago, the local king's name was Freyne, and he was a cruel man. He treated the peasants like rabble and forced them to work long hours for almost nothing. Freyne's son Einon was, and is, just as bad. Eventually the peasants had enough and decided to rebel. Freyne decided to lead his own troops to squash the uprising, and had his son and his son's mentor come along for the ride. Freyne was killed in the uprising, leaving his son to inherit the throne. Einon, too, was hurt during the fight, by the young daughter of one of the rebels. The wound was mortal, so Bowen, Einon's mentor, brought him home to the castle. Bowen thought Einon was beyond all help, but Einon's mother Ayslinn disagreed. She brought the boy to my cave, and persuaded me to help. My hope was that, if I did what only dragons can do, and give him half my heart, he might become a better perso. I was wrong. Einon's evil corrupted the half he held, and he is now immortal as long as I live. The only way for Einon to die is for someone to kill me. But if I die, there will be no more dragons: Einon's mentor, once he realised Einon was now more cruel than ever, decided to become a dragonslayer, to kill all dragons for my mistake. And if I die, my soul is lost."  
  
It was now dark, and the stars were starting to come out. Draco looked toward the heavens, pointed out the constellation of the dragon, and continued. "That constellation is known as the Dragon's Heaven. Only those who earn the right, by a good deed, are permitted there after death. I thought giving Einon half my heart would gain me access. But, when Einon became a worse tyrant than his father, my sacrifice became my sin. Now, the only way to correct the mistake is to kill Einon - and myself. The added name should be obvious, now?"  
  
Harry nodded, and Draco asked, "What's your story?"  
  
Harry took a breath, then started talking. He went through the whole story, from when he was a year old all the way to when he and the others ended up in their current situation. When he'd finished, Harry realised the others were asleep, and Draco was watching him intently.  
  
"That's quite a tale. But how could your Ministry just send Sirius to that horrible place? Surely they would have given him a trial."  
  
"Are witches in this time given a fair trial? The Ministry couldn't be bothered to look into the matter or use Veritaserum on Sirius, and sent him to Azkaban to appease the public. The Minister of Magic is a complete idiot, he thinks I'm crazy, and won't believe a word I say. Unless someone catches Pettigrew, Sirius is still a criminal as far as the Ministry's concerned."  
  
After a minute Harry started yawning, at which Draco gave him a stern look and said, "You should be asleep. Go on, I'll keep watch."  
  
Harry lay down and settled in what passed for a comfortable position, said goodnight, and fell asleep. Draco stayed awake for about half an hour, then fell asleep himself.  
  
So, what do you think? Should I continue? Please review and let me know. 


	2. Meet Bowen and Brother Gilbert

Disclaimer: Same as before, I only own Kirsti, aka Ciorstaidh, and her family.  
  
Author's note: In reply to Nogard's comments, the only reason Kirst knows here they are is because she's been there before. I'm going to explain how she came to Draco's dimension the first time. The reason why Harry went and told his story to Draco was because, (put it this way,) Draco has a way of talking people into trusting him. You saw that in the movie, how he made friends with Bowen, a man out to kill him.  
  
The reason why Kirsti managed to curse Malfoy into the wall was... ...well, you'll see.  
  
Halfheart by Chris Atola  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Kirsti was dreaming. As a result of her heritage and the abilities that came with it, the only things she ever dreamed of were events of the past, be they hers or from before her time. She watched as her mother's village was attacked, burned to the ground, and most of the villagers killed. Her mother, Annag, only ten years old, hid among the trees surrounding the village and waited. Unlike her neighbours, Annag was of mixed blood: part fairy, part elf, when all the others were fairies. Unlike those in other dimensions, her people were the size of humans, without wings, but had pointed ears, even more so than elves, and hair of many colours, different blends for individuals. Like her mother's Annag's hair was a mixture of red and yellow, but it also had black and white streaks as a result of her elven heritage on her father's side.  
  
Listening to the sounds of death and destruction, Annag wished she were anywhere else. She knew the attackers were here for one reason: they were afraid her people would harm them, and had come to stop the 'threat' before it began.  
  
When the invaders finally left, Annag emerged to see that there were no survivors. She saw her parents and little brother among the ruins of her house, and cried. She picked up a small pendant which her mother had always worn, and knelt there for hours, with the tears from her pale grey eyes flowing freely, until the sound of something swooping overhead brought her back to reality. Annag looked up to see the form of a gold-scaled dragon land among the wreckage. He surveyed the landscape, the ruins and the dead, and shook his head sadly.  
  
Momentarily, the dragon noticed Annag, still kneeling by her family, and said, "Little one, how is it you survived?"  
  
"I don't know, my mother sent me into the trees to hide, but my hair should have given me away. Now that they're dead, I've got no-one to go to. This was my only family." Annag wiped her eyes and stood up.  
  
The dragon thought for a moment, then suggested, "You can stay with me, child. We're both outcasts in this day and age. The Old Ways grow dim, and soon my kind will be as hunted as yours. Come, climb on my back."  
  
Annag put her mother's pendant around her neck and hesitantly climbed on, and as soon as she was comfortably seated, the dragon took flight. After a few minutes of flight, the dragon introduced himself. "Call me Draco, you'd have trouble pronouncing my true name."  
  
"My name's Annag." Draco nodded and started turning left, obviously heading for a waterfall. He soon landed, and Annag slid off his back.  
  
"This is my home," Draco stated.  
  
"It's beautiful," Annag exclaimed, and indeed it was. The waterfall, which effectively hid a cave, reflected sunlight onto the rocks around it in rainbow patterns, reminding Annag of a cut crystal she'd once seen when a peaceful traveller had entered her village a year before, willing to show it to any child who asked.  
  
"When you hold it up to the sun's light," the traveller had said, "it reflects the light back and turns it into different colours. Does anyone have a white cloth? It would make the colours easier to see." Someone had handed the traveller an old tablecloth, for which she had thanked the person, and asked some of the people nearby to hold the cloth tight, while she'd slipped a bit of string throught a loop on the end of the crystal.  
  
The traveller held onto the end of the string and let the crystal dangle freely, reflecting the sunlight and breaking it into the colours of the rainbow. The children, Annag included, had watched the colours fly around the cloth in wonder. The traveller explained how the crystal was a gift from her grandmother, who had instructed her to show it to children. The children would benefit from seeing something beautiful...  
  
The children had all been disappointed when the traveller had left a week after she arrived, saying there were other children who should see the crystal's beauty, as well.  
  
Annag enjoyed Draco's hospitality and company for half a year, but it wasn't to last. One day a human sorcerer saw Annag and cursed her. As a result, she found herself in an entirely different world, and was soon found by a kind couple who took her in. Annag, from then on known as Anna, discovered she was in alternate dimension where magic-users were common, dragons couldn't talk, and her kind were rare.  
  
On her eleventh birthday, Anna received a letter from Hogwarts, inviting her to come learn there, regardless of her heritage. For seven years, Anna learned magic at Hogwarts, after which she moved to Finland, met a man named Tuomas (Tomas by Draco) and married him.  
  
When her first child, Ciorstaidh or Kirsti was born, Anna cast a portal spell, intending to return to her home dimension to visit Draco. Her husband entered the room at the moment the spell was cast, resulting in him being transported as well.  
  
Draco was extremely surprised to see Annag all grown up and married - with a child, no less! He had Annag tell her full story, and marveled at the wonders of the other dimension.  
  
Over the years, Annag and her family visited Draco often, which meant by the age of fifteen Kirsti knew Draco's home and its surroundings rather well. Ciorstaidh came to love Draco as an uncle, and looked forward to each visit.  
  
When Malfoy insulted Kirsti in the halls of Hogwarts, she unwittingly released one of the abilities fairies had, but seldom used. She had originally intended to hex Malfoy with something simple, but her subconscious had other ideas. Kirsti herself had been rather surprised at her abilities. The only other time she'd unleashed her inherited power had been when she's ended up in that fight with the boy at her old school in Finland. Because of her uncontrolled power, she'd been expelled.  
  
Kirsti awoke to the feeling of someone standing over her. She opened her eyes to find everyone else awake, and, with the exception of Draco, staring at her like she'd grown a second head. "What are you looking at me for?"  
  
"You must've been having quite some dream; you were making a lot of noise," commented Harry.  
  
"...Yeah, but it wasn't a normal dream - it was one of my mother's memories."  
  
"Huh?!" was the general comment.  
  
"I'm not entirely human - more like only a quarter. My mum's half elven, half fairy - and not the type we get back home, mind you: my mum's people were the size of humans, without wings. Anyway, fairies have a kind of racial memory - you see the other peoples' memories in you dreams. I just so happen to be stuck with that ability. It's not pleasant, mind you, especially since mum's memories aren't exactly all fluffy and sweet."  
  
Draco chose that moment to speak up. "I suggest we move to the waterfall. It's a little less obvious, we're likely to be seen here. A group of black-robed youngsters in the company of a dragon are going to attract attention."  
  
"How far away is it, Draco?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Not very, only an hour's walk for a human, a few minutes' flight for me. You know the way, Ciorstaidh." With that, Draco took to the air, and flew to the west.  
  
"Come on, let's go," Kirsti said. She set off at a brisk pace, and the others followed her.  
  
"Why does he call you Ciorstaidh?" asked Harry, after a while.  
  
"That's the name that's on all my papers, but Kirsti's a bit easier to pronounce - and spell. They both mean the same thing: follower of Christ."  
  
When they reached the waterfall, Draco was already there, sunning himself on the smooth, white rocks surrounding the cave. They'd barely had time to settle down when they heard the sound of a horses hooves clopping against the river shore a short distance away. Kirsti cast a bleaching charm on draco, then led the others into the cave, where they waited. Draco stayed on the rocks, perfectly still.  
Momentarily, they heard the horse slow to a stop, and the rider dismount, drawing his sword. As he was about to approach the cave, a voice called, "Yo-hoo! Yo-hoo! I've decided to compose, the Ballad of Bowen! How do you prefer I should write this?"  
"Far away!" came the Knight's reply.  
"Oh, don't concern yourself with my safety! I mean mode, metre! Shall I spice it up with a poetical flourish, or just the cold, hard facts?"  
"If you do not be quiet, you and I shall be the only things that are cold and hard around here!"  
"I mean, it's alright to go hacking and wacking at dragons, but if a dragon falls in the forest and nobody gets to hear about it, does it make a thud?"  
"Brother Gilbert?"  
"What?"  
"Shh!" Bowen indicated the cave.  
Gilbert pointed his quill at the cave and gave a look toward Bowen. He then turned to his parchment, and muttered, "The quill is mightier, than the sword..." As he poked the quill at the rock he was sitting on, repeated the phrase and poked again, only to feel the 'rock' move under him. He was then thrown off, giving a cry of surprise and fright, as Draco quickly moved into the cave. Draco then proceeded to throw a long-dead corpse at Bowen, who raised his shield in the nick of time.  
"That's all that's left of the last dragonslayer who tangled with me. If I were you, I'd quit while I was ahead." At 'ahead', Gilbert picked up the corpse's head, gave a cry of fright and threw it away from himself.  
Bowen threw his spear into the cave, only to hear, "Is that the best you can do?" followed by the sounds of the spear being moved, after which it was thrown right back at him.  
"I've got quite a collection of victims in here!"  
"I won't be added to it!" Bowen slapped his horse's rear to get it to move away, then stepped forward. Gilbert watched, muttering, "Into the pit of death he strolled, into the pit of fear unknown. Perhaps to court his doom!" He blinked, then, "That was good. What did I say? What did I say?!" followed by a blast of fire from inside the cave.  
Bowen, now inside the cave, dodged the blast and called, "A little damp for fire, isn't it?"  
"Why mut you Knight errants up to make a name for yourselves always pick on us dragons?"  
"I don't need a name, and I have a collection of my own."  
"Yeah, you're one who kills dragons for money!"  
"It's honest enough work. One must earn a living."  
"Oh, yes, one must live. Well, since you seek a profit, might as well begin!"  
"Oh, don't flatter yourself; it's not the profit, it's the pleasure."  
"Perhaps more pleasure will end more costly than you think!" At that, Draco rushed out of the cave and into the air. The bleaching charm had now finished. Bowen rushed out after him.  
"He went that way! Take care, Bowen!" called Gilbert. Then, he, too, set off after Draco.  
When they were gone, Kirsti turned to the others in the cave. "Now what?"  
  
Reviews: So far, my thanks go to: Wild-Roze, (yes, I have seen Dragonheart 2, but I didn't like it quite as much as the original,) Nogard, anonymous and MIstressOfTime.  
  
Please review! 


	3. An author's note and part of chapter 3

People...?  
  
I thought I asked for reviews...?  
  
Put it this way: I won't post if I don't get SOME reviews!  
  
Then again, I haven't even started on chapter three...  
  
I'll get to work when someone bothers to let me know they're reading this.  
  
Writing when no-one reads is like talking to myself, (which I tend to do anyway). So why bother?  
  
Well, actually, I won't be getting very far before school starts, Monday after next. I won't be writing all that often once school starts, but reviews may get me to write more often. Anyway...  
  
Please REVIEW!  
  
Chris Atola  
  
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Dim: Chris, you're complaining...  
  
Chris: Yeah, so? Nobody's reading, far as I know...  
  
Dim: Still... *turns to address the readers* Come on, people. Chris won't continue at this rate. She's TWICE as stubborn as she should be sometimes! Probably the Finnish and British heritage...  
  
Chris: *tries to post this note and fails*.  
  
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Alright, since FF.Net won't let me post this note - it keeps claiming the file's empty - I'll put in a bit of Halfheart. But only because the Document Manager *kicks the program in question* won't let me post anything this short!  
  
Halfheart by Chris Atola  
  
Chapter 3  
  
When they were gone, Kirsti turned to the others in the cave. "Now what?"  
  
The others gave her blank looks, so Kirsti sighed and said, "Let's follow them. Not that we can keep up with an airborne dragon, but we can try..." As she trailed off, Harry nodded.  
  
"Let's try transfiguring something into brooms. It might be easier that way. We can try with those rocks on the riverside," Hermione suggested. She pointed to the rocks and pebbles lying next to the river, then moved forward and pulled out her wand. She concentrated on a particularly large pebble, and soon she was holding a very good broom.  
  
Harry and Ron followed suit, and came up with decent results. Kirsti looked at one of the pebbles and muttered, "Transfiguraton never was my strong point..." just loud enough for the rest to hear her.  
  
Malfoy looked at her, then picked up the rock she was looking at, and transfigured it into a Nimbus-like broom. Kirsti looked up at Malfoy with an obvious question in her eyes: why? Malfoy read her expression and announced to the group, "My name isn't Draco Malfoy anymore. I denounce my family, and my name is now... "  
  
What do you think our former Malfoy's new name should be? Give me an idea or I'll give him a rather embarrasing name, one nobody (including me) will like (for example Hairy Primate). I'm serious! Please review! 


	4. Author's note

Dear readers,  
  
The next update for Halfheart will be a _bit_ late in coming. My kid brother, M2 1, decided to take my copy of Dragonheart back to Helsinki with him. I live two hundred kilometres northwest of Helsinki in the countryside, nowhere near a video shop which might sell videos that old.  
  
I can hardly make note of the dialogue in the film if the video's that far away, so it might be a while before I can actually finish chapter 3. I've e-mailed the kid, not that it'll do any good, and asked him - no, ordered him - to send me an e-mail with the dialogue for the scene I want to include in chapter 3.  
  
It might take a while for him to send it to me, and even longer for me to finish the chapter, so you'll have to wait a while for the rest of chapter 3. It might help if you e-mail him and tell him to put his foot down. His e-mail is m2_150@hotmail.com . Make sure the subject is obvious what your e-mail's about, or he might decide to get rid of your e-mail along with a load of junk mail.  
  
No point in complaining to me about it; I can't write out of thin air.  
  
Besides that, I'd appreciate some reviews. I haven't had any since chapter 1, which makes me wonder if anyone's reading this. And, unless someone reviews, I'll rename Malfoy Hairy Primate.  
  
Chris Atola  
  
A note to anyone who's read Halfheart and speaks Finnish:  
  
Onks sen alla olevan laatikon näpäyttäminen nii vaikeeta? Voi hellallettas!!! 


	5. The rest of chapter 3

Author's note: Right, since no-one reviewed, I've taken the liberty of giving Malfoy a new name which even I don't particularly like.  
  
If you want to read the disclaimer, go back to chapter one.  
  
Author's note: I know, Malfoy's a bit out of character here, deciding to be nice to Harry and his friends. But, I'm not the first person to write one of these 'sudden change of heart' fics...  
  
NEW Author's note: Thanks to the suggestions made by the reviewer who calls herself Visitor, I've changed Malfoy's name to something more sensible.  
  
Halfheart by Chris Atola  
  
The rest of Chapter 3  
  
Malfoy looked at her, then picked up the rock she was looking at, and transfigured it into a Nimbus-like broom. Kirsti looked up at Malfoy with an obvious question in her eyes: why? Malfoy read her expression and announced to the group, "My name isn't Draco Malfoy anymore. I denounce my family, and my name is now... "  
  
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"...Arlen Dermot," he finished.  
  
Harry turned and mounted his broom. The others followed suit.  
  
"So, what caused this sudden change?" Kirsti asked Arlen as they flew, pursuing Draco and Bowen.  
  
"I just don't feel like doing as my Death Eater of a father wants me to. He wants me to sign up in Voldemort's ranks, but I'm tired of getting yelled at for not getting the highest marks possible. I know it's probably a bit late to hope for a full fresh start in everything, but I want to try. Besides, last night your dragon friend - Draco was his name? - and I had a bit of a chat. He told me to stop being such a prat - in slightly nicer terms."  
  
They flew in silence for a while, until Hermione spotted Draco in a meadow, currently trying to hit a prone Bowen with his long, spade-tipped tail. Bowen dodged at the last second, rolling over, which resulted in Draco's tail getting caught in a nearby fallen tree. Draco worked his tail free, then rushed forward and stood over Bowen, who was still flat on his back. He then started to work his jaw in a sideways motion, his mouth wide open. Bowen realised what this meant and started shouting.  
  
Moments later, Draco moved his head down and caught Bowen in his mouth. Bowen then drew his sword and drove it right into the roof of Draco's mouth.  
  
"If your teeth come down, my sword goes up, right into your brain!" Bowen announced.  
  
Kirsti wanted to intervene, but Draco sent her a look which plainly said, 'Don't interfere.'  
  
Night fell, and the two were still in the same position.  
  
"If your sword goes up, my teeth come down!" Draco countered.  
  
"Into the moonlit night the titans dueled, in mortal combat bound. Oh, who'd the fatal false step make? Whose blood would stain the ground?" Brother Gilbert muttered, reverently watching them. He then yawned.  
  
"Oh, good Lord. Sir Eglamore," Bowen exclaimed, having just dislodged a half-rotten hand wearing a signet ring from between Draco's teeth.  
  
"Ohhh, thank you very much. It's been stuck down there for months!" Draco paused, then said, "Can you get your buttocks off my tongue?"  
  
"Why should _you_ be comfortable? My armor is rusting in your drool, and your breath is absolutely foul," Bowen protested.  
  
"Well, what do you expect, with old knights rotting between my molars?" Draco asked, then paused yet again. "Oh, God, my mouth is _so_ dry..."  
  
"No, no, no! Stop! No! No!" Bowen exclaimed. With which Draco proceeded to hack up a ball of saliva, which hit Bowen right in the face.  
  
"Sorry about that." Draco paused yet _again_, then mused, "It seems we're in a bit of a stalemate, wouldn't you say?"  
  
"Yuck! But I can go three days without sleep," Bowen muttered.  
  
"I can go three _weeks_." Draco countered.  
  
"Ooh! I'll stab you before I nod off," Bowen swore.  
  
"And I'll chomp _you_!" Draco stated. He then gave a short, ironic laugh. "Marvelous, we'll kill each other!"  
  
Bowen paused, then asked, "What do you suggest?"  
  
"A truce! Get out of my mouth, and let's talk face-to-face," Draco suggested.  
  
"How do I know I can trust you?" Bowen asked, now suspicious.  
  
"I give you my word," Draco stated.  
  
"The word of a dragon! It's worthless!" Bowen commented derisively.  
  
Draco pushed Bowen out with his tongue while exclaiming, "Stubborn lout!"  
  
Bowen landed heavily on the ground, then cried, "Ohhh, I should have known! Go on! Kill me!"  
  
Draco paused while readjusting his lower jaw, then said, "I don't want to kill you! I never did! And I don't want you to kill me! How do we gain? If you win, you lose a trade. If I win, I wait around for the next sword slinger thirsting to carve a reputation out of my hide. I'm _tired_ of lurking in holes and skulking in darkness." He paused, then said, "I'm gonna let you up now. And if you insist, we can pursue this fracas to its final stupidity. _Or_, you can listen to my alternative."  
  
Bowen got up, seeming to ready his sword.  
  
"_Hmmm_?" Draco persisted.  
  
"What's the alternative?" Bowen asked after a moment.  
  
Kirsti chose that moment to step up and start yelling at Draco. "Why'd you leave us at the waterfall like that?" She turned to Bowen and started yelling at him. "And you! Why don't you get yourself a better job, instead of killing those who haven't done anything to deserve it!" Her pale grey eyes flashed as she glared at both in turn. Draco looked away momentarily, hoping she'd calm down and forget.  
  
Hermione drew Draco's attention, asking him if he thought it would be safe to spend the night there. At Draco's nod, the boys set off into the dense forest off to one side, to look for firewood. They came back a few minutes later laden with dead branches, and in Arlen's case, chopped logs. Upon seeing the logs, Hermione knew Arlen had used magic instead of his hands. She sighed in frustration, and directed the boys to put down the wood in a pile.  
  
Hermione was just about to draw her wand to start the fire when Draco beat her to it. He let out a short blast of fire, which caught the wood and lit it.  
  
Bowen went off to find something to cook over the fire, and Hermione took the opportunity to cast a spell which created food out of thin air, a spell she'd learned from Dobby the house-elf. With a flick of her wand and a muttered word, a dead rabbit appeared next to the fire.  
  
When none of the boys appeared to know how to skin the rabbit, Hermione cast yet another spell, which skinned and gutted it. She then started looking for something she could use as a spit, in order to roast the rabbit. That's when Arlen made himself useful by picking up two forked sticks and a long, thin one from the edge of the forest. He handed them to Hermione, who headed to the fire and set about setting up a spit for the rabbit.  
  
When Bowen came back, in a few minutes, he was surprised to see the already-roasting rabbit, and the teenagers sitting around the fire, who gave him innocent looks when he asked them where the rabbit came from.  
  
My thanks for reviewing and helping me get the dialogue for the truce scene between Draco and Bowen goes to Visitor, who was kind enough to send me the scene in question. Thanks a lot!!  
  
_No_ thanks go to M2 1-kins who refused to co-operate. You're a pain in my tailbone, täystuho!! Ja mä sanoin sulle siitä nii monta kertaa...! 


	6. The village, the Old Code and the naming

Author's note: I've deliberately refrained from mentioning Draco's name in front of Bowen, so that the naming scene can be carried out, in due time.  
  
Halfheart by Chris Atola  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The following morning, Bowen and Draco were caught making plans for how they were going to swindle a nearby village. Kirsti wasn't happy, but didn't interfere. Draco flew away toward the village, soon followed by Bowen on horseback, Kirsti and the others, in that order.  
  
People were working on the fields of the small village, the houses of which were rather rickety. One worker, a young boy, glanced at the sky. "Father, Father! Look!" he called.  
  
"Dragon!" Workers in the field yelled, close to a panic.  
  
"Out of the way! Out of the way! Out of the _way_!" Draco called while swooping downward. He proceeded to scorch some of fields, then destroyed a mill, which exploded into an enormous fireball, while the villagers fled.  
  
The dark-haired lord (*) of the village ran out of his hovel, his pants undone and about his knees, followed by his minx, who remained in the entry way.  
  
"Pesky critters, dragons," Bowen said while riding up to the lord.  
  
The lord recognized Bowen and said, in an accusatory tone, "You!" after which he tried to adjust his pants, which had fallen even lower, now around his ankles. Kirsti, who was watching from the edge of the village, stifled a snort.  
  
Bowen laughed, "Like big rats. You never seem to get rid of them._Unless_ you pay me two bags of gold, in advance."  
  
Moments later Bowen was readying a ballista, (*) with the entire village watching.  
  
"Come on, Dragon." He paused, then Draco appeared. He continued with a more gruff tone, "Come on, Dragon." He paused yet again. "Yes!" Bowen lifted his sword, then cut the line, propelling the spear upward.  
  
Draco, while catching the spear, wailed, "Ohhhh!" He promptly began to plummet, tossing away the spear just before he dived into the lake. The villagers cheered.  
  
Bowen rode along the edge of the lake as Draco followed him, swimming underneath the water's surface. Draco's head poped out, surveying the area until something of interest caught his eye. Kirsti looked in the direction his eyes were directed at and saw a large flock of sheep in an area of pastureland along the lake's shore.  
  
Draco considered for a moment, then murmured, "Hmm." He clicked his tongue; then, seductively continued, "Hello..."  
  
Bowen was on his horse, riding on a knoll covered with wheat, counting coins. "Twenty-eight, twenty-nine..." He laughed. "Most profitable, Dragon. I should have met you a long time ago."  
  
"There is much gold in the world." Draco flew by, upside down. "Perhaps when you've had your fill of it, you'll no longer need me," he responded while swooping through the air around Bowen.  
  
"I am a Knight of the Old Code. My word is my bond," Bowen stated.  
  
"No compunctions, then?" Draco asked while flying right over horse and rider.  
  
"About what?" Bowen asked.  
  
"Well, such deception hardly befits a Knight of the Old Code," Draco commented.  
  
Bowen laughed. "Fleecing Einon's lackeys -- _that's_ a service to mankind!"  
  
"Is it?" Draco asked while hovering before Bowen. "When you squeeze the nobility, it's the peasants who feel the pinch."  
  
"That's not my concern. Why should I stick my neck out for people afraid to risk their own? Don't clutter up a clever scheme with morality," Bowen answered, firmly.  
  
"Mmm, so be it... _Knight of the Old Code_." Draco took completely to the air again.  
  
"If I wanted my conscience pricked, I would have stayed with the priest! Huh! And what does a _dragon_ know of the Old Code, anyway?" Bowen asked derisively.  
  
"His blade defends the helpless." Draco began to hover in front of Bowen again. "His might upholds the weak. His word speaks only truth." He landed beside Bowen.  
  
"Shut up! I remember. That's all it is--a memory. Nothing can bring it back," Bowen growled.  
  
"You sound like one who tried," Draco said in a kindly tone.  
  
"And failed. So I no longer try to change the world, Dragon. I just try to get by in it," Bowen commented.  
  
"Yes, well, it's better than death, I suppose," Draco said, softly.  
  
"Oh, is it? I should think you'd _welcome_ death. You know--the last of your kind, all your friends dead, hunted wherever you go," Bowen said.  
  
Draco stopped dead in his tracks. "Do you _delight_ in reminding me? Yes, Knight, I _do_ long for death." He paused. "But fear it."  
  
Bowen slowed down as Draco's words registered. He turned around in his saddle. "Why? Aside from your misery, what's to lose?"  
  
"My soul."  
  
They looked at each other for a long moment, Bowen's expression changed as he realized that Draco was serious. He turned back and begans to ride again, Draco walking at his side.  
  
Kirsti watched the exchange with sorrowful eyes. She wished there was a way to kill Einon without harming Draco, but knew it was impossible.  
  
About an hour later, Bowen was trying to light a fire with a piece of flint against his sword. Draco watched, noticing how hopeless it was.  
  
"I can." Bowen ignored him. "I really can." Still ignored, Draco covered one nostril with a finger and exhaled through his open nostril, letting out a wide blast of flame which engulfed the wood - and the rabbit which is sitting on a spit overhead.  
  
"Sorry, Bowen, hope you like it well done." Draco apologised.  
  
Bowen had just finished eating, and tossed a rabbit bone. He picked up his shield, tossing it to the side. Draco looked at the spike-adorned shield, and said, "You must have hated us very much."  
  
"I hated one of you. These I killed because I wanted to kill him. I never will: if you're the last, he must be dead," Bowen stated.  
  
"Tell me, what was he like, this dragon you so hated?" Draco asked.  
  
"He only had half a heart, but even that was enought to pollute an innocent boy." Bowen said. Kirsti stifled yet another snort.  
  
"Einon was no innocent, he polluted the heart!" Draco exclaimed.  
  
"How do you know that?! How do you know that, dragon?!" Bowen almost yelled.  
  
Draco put a hand behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "All dragons know that story: a spoiled, ungrateful child was given a great gift, and destroyed it!"  
  
"No! I knew Einon, I was his teacher. I taught him the ways of honour, of right!" Bowen insisted.  
  
"Then he betrayed you, just as he betrayed the dragon whose heart he broke!" Draco muttered, leaning closer to Bowen.  
  
"That's a lie, dragon!" Bowen shouted.  
  
"Stop calling me _dragon_! I have a name!" Draco tried to change the subject.  
  
"Well, what is it?" Bowen asked with some derision.  
  
Draco scoffed. "You couldn't _possibly_ pronounce it in your tongue!"  
  
Bowen smirked. "Try me."  
  
"Alright, it's - " Draco was interrupted by a lancing pain in his heart, he cried out in pain and fell down unconcious. Kirsti jumped to her feet, running to Draco. "Oh, dear, not again!" She muttered, "Creatus aqua**", and a bowl of water appeared in her hand. She tore off a thin stip from the hem of her robes and dipped the strip in the bowl, then placed the strip on Draco's chest, after which she sat down next to him. Moments later, she was asleep, leaning against him.  
  
Bowen sat, wrapped in a blanket, beside Draco, who was lying down -- asleep -- and was now awaking.  
  
"Have you been watching over me all night?" Draco asked, now noticing the light weight of Kirsti leaning on his side.  
  
"I've...been thinking," Bowen admitted.  
  
"Yes? About what?" Draco asked.  
  
"Many things." Bowen got up, moving towards Draco's head. "Mostly about what to call you. I think I've found you a name."  
  
"You say that as though you reached up and plucked it from the sky," Draco commented.  
  
Bowen chuckled. "I did." He gestured towards the sky. "Up there." He paused. "Do you see that group of stars?"  
  
"I know those stars very well." Draco answered.  
  
"Do you see the shape that they make?" Bowen continued.  
  
"Mm-hmm--a dragon," Draco quietly answered.  
  
"Yes. They call it "Draco". It means "dragon" in the scholars' speech." Bowen explained.  
  
Draco chuckled. "So instead of calling me 'Dragon' in your tongue, you'll call me 'Dragon' in some other tongue."  
  
Bowen shook his head. "You're right. It's silly." He began to walk away, but Draco placed a hand in front of him.  
  
"No," Draco quickly said, then paused. "No, I would be honored to be named after those stars. I--I truly would." He paused yet again. "Thank you, Bowen." He tried out the name, "_Draco_." Then, more softly, "Draco."  
  
Both looked back at the stars.  
  
* I think...  
  
** In case you didn't realise, this is my own invention. It's probably butchering Latin, but the thing is, I never learnt Latin. They don't teach it in Finland.  
  
My thanks for their reviews or help go to Someone, M2 (even if he wasn't the most enthusiastic reviewer on Earth), and Visitor, from here on called Light Rises, who's kind enough to send me the dialogue for the film, upon request, since 'kins decided to take the cassette to Helsinki. Thanks a lot! 


	7. A story of Draco's childhood

Disclaimer: see chapter one  
  
Author's note: No real action in this chapter. I'm still waiting for a response from Light Rises, in order to get the next couple of scenes up. (No hurry though, Light! I wouldn't be able to post right away anyway, with school and everything!) And yes, I know it's short.  
  
Responses to reviews: I didn't GET any reviews for the last chapter! Is anyone reading?! REVIEW!!! Remember what I said earlier on. No reviews, no updates!  
  
Halfheart by Chris Atola  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The next day, Bowen rode into a nearby village to buy food and supplies. While he was gone, Draco and the Hogwarts students discussed what would happen next. How would Harry, Ron, Hermione, Kirsti and Arlen get home, and when?  
  
They didn't get very far with that discussion, but Kirsti suggested seeking out a local magic-user and ask them for help. The problem was, no witch or wizard in their right mind would parade their ability in front of Muggles, so they'd have a time finding anyone able to send them home.  
  
Eventually, they settled for badgering Draco for stories of when he was a hatchling. After a while, Draco caved and told them what he was like as a child.  
  
"I was a fairly rebellious hatchling. Young ones weren't supposed to leave the nest alone, but I didn't listen, and found myself a long way from home in the middle of a small village. The villagers hadn't seen a dragon close up before, so I got a lot of strange stares. After a while, an old man wearing robes came up to me and told me to follow him. He took me to his house on the outskirts and introduced himself as Garrett Liam*, a wizard. He contacted my parents, who weren't exactly pleased to hear I'd run off. A while after I went back home, Garrett disappeared. I never did find out what happened to him..." He got so carried away with his story, that he didn't even hear Bowen come back. Bowen cleared his throat. Everyone jumped and turned to face him.  
  
"I have the supplies."  
  
"Thank you, Bowen," Draco answered.  
  
*Another name from the list of names Light Rises provided me. (Thanks again!) Garrett means 'to watch' and Liam means 'determined guardian'. 


	8. Rescuing Kara bad title, I know

Disclaimer: read one of the earlier chapters.  
  
Sorry it took me so long to get this up, but I managed to get M2 to give me the cassette, so now there shouldn't be _too_ much trouble. I _do_ have school to worry about, so don't expect daily updates.  
  
Reviews: Elendil Star-Lover: Thanks for reviewing - multiple times! I know the chapters are short, but I'm really busy during the day, and staying up at night isn't an option - I sleep badly enough as it is... I might be able to work on this more during the Easter holidays... I hope...  
  
Chapter Six  
  
The next morning, they headed for a nearby village, arriving just in time to see a red-haired woman being pelted with vegetables as she shouted, "You must start to fight back!" Kirsti and co. stood on the outskirts of the village as they observed. Bowen rode forward as a man answered,  
  
"Your father sang that sour tune once, and we did fight back. But once was enought, we'll not answer it again!"  
  
"No, Hewe, just cringe like a dog under Einon's boot."  
  
"Well, at least a cringing dog's a live one!" Hewe answered and made as if to throw a watermelon at the woman. Bowen grabbed the melon out of his hand and said,  
  
"Hey, why waste good food on bad revering*?"  
  
The woman answered, "I speak the truth." Bowen laughed.  
  
"Truth! Well, it's rarely inspiring, lass, and it never wins rebellion. But it _will_ stretch necks, if there _is_ a neck undernearth that little... _mudpile_!" He handed the melon to the woman, who glared and stuffed it in his face. The villagers laughed. Bowen looked away.  
  
Moments later, Draco swooped in, calling, "Ready or not, here I come!" The villagers panicked, screaming "Dragon!" Bowen's horse trotted forward a bit as Bowen watched Draco.  
  
"It's _Draco_!" Draco called, correcting the villagers.  
  
"About time!" Bowen muttered.  
  
Draco flew low, making a large hole in a thatched roof as he watched. Draco perched on a cliff, licking his chops.  
  
"It seems you people are in need of a dragonslayer. Where's the lord responsible for this village?" Bowen called. Hewe poked his head out his door.  
  
"Brock lives in a big house about six miles away. Anything happens, he'll pluck our pockets to pay for it."  
  
"I won't pluck them as deeply." Bowen grinned. "I'll make you a fair offer. Take it, or leave _him_!" Bowen gestured to Draco, and, on cue, Draco roared, breathing fire. The villagers ducked and cowered. The redhead came out of hiding.  
  
"It's enough you people grovel to Einon. Will you be bullied by some broken down blackmailing knight as well?!"  
  
Bowen laughed loudly. "That's right, you don't need me, settle it yourselves." Bowen turned to look at a group of very pretty girls with long, brown, braided hair who watched him in fear. "Of course, there are other ways. Perhaps you'll part with one of your precious daughters, instead of gold?" Bowen suggested, walking toward the girls who looked at each other in fear.  
  
Hewe shouted, "No!" and darted for his daughters, pulling them close. Bowen continued,  
  
"Dragons _are_ partial to maiden sacrifices, I hear," he said, as if stating a fact.  
  
"Yeah, right," Kirsti snorted quietly.  
  
A few minutes later, the redheded woman found herself tied to a stake in a cart. "Don't do this! Don't do this to me! I- I was born in this village! You knew my father! You knew my _mother_!" She was terrified, struggling and looking around.  
  
Kirsti and the Hogwarts students headed for Draco's cliff. Draco saw Bowen riding toward him and asked, "Who's the girl?"  
  
"A nuisance, get rid of her!"  
  
"Why?" Draco asked, bewildered.  
  
"They're trying to placate you with a sacrifice."  
  
"And who ever gave them _that_ bright idea?!"  
  
"Just get rid of her!" Bowen snapped, exasperated.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Eat her!"  
  
"Oh please, yech!" Draco made a face.  
  
"Aren't we squeamish? You ate Sir Eglamore, hypocrite!"  
  
"I merely chewed in self-defence! But I never swallowed."  
  
"Improvise!"  
  
"All right, alright!" Draco said, taking flight. He flew toward the cart and the villagers scatterd. The woman screamed, struggling. Draco grabbed the cart in his claws and kept flying. He worked the woman of the stake, dropping the cart in the village pond. The woman fainted.  
  
Draco doubled back to the cliff and over the ridge, where he landed just long enough to let Kirsti and the others climb on. He then headed back to the waterfall.  
  
As Draco landed, Kirsti hopped of and started getting rid of the ropes which had bound the woman. Harry helped her lay the woman down on a rock and then stepped back. After a moment, the woman woke up and had a fit as she saw Draco.  
  
*Not sure if this is the right word, but that's what it _sounded_ like! I'm working from a video tape with Finnish subtitles, so I can't really check...  
  
(*This was put up just before I posted*) As I said to Elendil Star- Lover, I know, this is terribly short! But I'm really busy during the day, and staying up at night isn't an option - I sleep badly enough as it is... I might be able to work on this more during the Easter holidays... I hope...  
  
Please review! 


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